Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or slow down spoilage (loss of quality, edibility or nutritional value) and thus allow for a longer shelf life. Preservation typically involves preventing the growth of bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and other micro-organisms as well as retarding the oxidation of fats. Consequently, when it comes to prolonging the freshness of food, there are two main enemies; air and temperature.
Refrigeration addresses the “temperature” issue and preserves food by lowering the storage temperature thereby slowing down the growth and reproduction of micro-organisms and the action of enzymes which cause food to rot. Freezing food in an unprepared state is commonly used to prolong “shelf life”, both commercially and domestically. Under certain circumstances, however, freezing food can result in freezer burn. While not a safety risk, freezer burn appears as grayish-brown leathery spots on frozen food, and occurs when air reaches the food's surface and dries out the product. This can happen any time food is not securely wrapped in air-tight packaging.
Vacuum packing addresses the “air” issue by storing food in a vacuum environment, often in an air-tight bag or more rigid container such as a bottle. Such vacuum environment strips bacteria of oxygen needed for survival. Consequently, with regard to food preservation, the goal of vacuum packing is to remove oxygen from a container holding food thereby extending such food's shelf life within or outside a cooled environment. When a vacuum packed item is stored in a refrigerator or freezer, vacuum packing also minimizes freezer burn.
Today many products are sold to allow people to vacuum seal their own food. For prior art devices, one simply needs a sealable container and a vacuum machine that creates a vacuum to remove the air from such container. When the container is a baggie, the machine typically creates a vacuum to remove the air from the baggie and then seals the baggie; often using heat. For such prior art systems, one simply inserts food into a special plastic bag, places the open end of such bag into the slot of the vacuum machine, and presses a button. The machine quickly vacuums out all/most of the air from the bag and then heat seals the bag thereby creating a relatively long term seal allowing one to safely store the enclosed food in the refrigerator, freezer, or in a cabinet for an extended period of time.
However, often times a person may not need a long term storage process but requires a relatively less expensive and perhaps shorter term solution. For example, one may purchase a bread product that one will not eat in one setting but will likely eat over a period of a few days. One method is to store such food stuff in well-known reusable baggies that provide a releasable seal at one end. Such baggies work well for their intended purposes but do little to prolong the shelf life of the stored food. Consequently, prior art devices where developed to vacuum seal food stuff in baggies.
Prior art systems based on “single use” vacuum storage bags, such as the one taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,269 (issued to Deni et. al.) evacuate air from a storage bag through the same opening through which the item to be stored is placed into the bag. The Deni et al. device then evacuates the air from the bag thereby creating a vacuum inside the bag. The Deni et al. device then “permanently” seals the baggie so that the bag must be cut open to access the item inside the bag. Such systems are well known. Should a user want to reuse such a baggie, the old seal is cut and removed from the baggie and air is evacuated through the newly cut opening and permanently sealed again (making such baggies re-useable to an extent). Such a system requires the use of tools and a power source and eventually new bags.
To address such problem, systems such as the one taught by Skeens et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,384 have been developed. Skeens et al. teach a valve assembly mounted in a resealable/reclosable storage bag. The valve assembly includes a base and a valve element. The valve element includes a stem with a convex cap attached at one end and a valve gate attached at the opposite end. When the stem is pressed down by a line associated with a vacuum, air may draw out of the baggie creating a vacuum pressure inside the baggie. As before, however, a separate device is required to interface with the vacuum port and/or generate the vacuum.
A common drawback of the above described prior art systems relates to the vacuum generating/packing apparatus. Such vacuum generating devices cost money and they either take up valuable counter top space or drawer space. Additionally, one must have access to such devices when needed which is neither always convenient nor quick. Consequently, while several prior art re-sealable vacuum bag configurations have been developed, the cost of the vacuum apparatus, need of access (i.e. a vacuum apparatus may not always be available in all places), and the inconvenience of storing the vacuum apparatus have surely reduced their commercial success. In today's busy environment, most people apparently find vacuum sealing food in a storage device using prior art systems simply more trouble than it is worth.
Notably, often times only a relatively short term vacuum sealed container, that is low cost, quick, convenient and easy to achieve is all that is required to prolong the freshness of food stuff. For example, one may purchase bread, perhaps originally vacuum packed from the bread supplier where such bread is not typically completely consumed at one time but will be eaten over a period of a few days. Such bread goes stale quickly once opened as it is no longer under vacuum. A relatively short term vacuum sealed container that is quick, lost cost, convenient, and easy to achieve would be helpful in maintaining the freshness of such bread and would be more likely to be used by the public.
What is needed is a storage device, such as a re-sealable baggie, with an integral low cost system of evacuating the air from the baggie that does not require a vacuum apparatus.
Additionally, food stuff almost always comes in some type of somewhat resealable packaging, particularly where the food stuff is not generally completely consumed upon the initial opening of such original packaging. Bread, for example, often comes in its own baggie. Similarly, snacks, such as potato chips, frequently come in a baggie type container. Further, such baggies, even if re-sealable, do not include an apparatus or method for generating a vacuum inside such baggie after re-sealing.
What is further needed is a low cost and convenient vacuum apparatus that may be associated with such original packing/containers as well as commercially available re-sealable storage devices such as baggies without vacuum sealing features and more ridged containers (such as plastic containers) where such vacuum apparatus is used to generate a vacuum within such storage devices.